Justification:Abies bracteata has been assessed as Near Threatened on the basis of its restricted distribution, a decline in the quality of the habitat in areas surrounding existing stands due to the effects of Sudden Oak Death, poor regeneration and poor re-establishment potential. It is also potentially susceptible to indirect effects of climate change. Any further change in its status could lead to a listing as Endangered, under criterion B.

Bristlecone Fir is restricted to five main locations in the Santa Lucia Mountains of the central California coast in Monterey County and northwestern San Luis Obispo County at altitudes ranging from 213 m to 1,571 m. Its estimated extent of occupancy is about 710 km2. Its actual area of occupancy is estimated to be less than 20 km2 (Thorne et al. 2002). The majority of stands are in the northern part of its range. Using standard IUCN techniques, herbarium specimen based estimates of its extent of occurrence and area of occupancy give figures of 1485 km2 and 64 km2 respectively. All estimates are within the threshold for endangered. The number of locations varies from 6-20, depending on the threat used to define them. Subpopulations are regarded as severely fragmented.

Throughout its range A. bracteata is restricted to steep north- and east-facing upland slopes and ridges, in canyon bottoms, and on raised stream benches and terraces.These areas are not prone to hot fires. It occurs either in mixed evergreen forests, canyon live oak communities or occassionally with Sequoia sempervirens, Pinus lambertiana and P. ponderosa

Santa Lucia Fir is no longer used for timber but it is an attractive and unusual species much valued in collections for botanic gardens and arboreta. It was successfully introduced and raised by the famous tree nursery of Veitch & Son near Chelsea in England in 1853, but it only became more common in horticulture later in the twentieth century when renewed seed collecting was undertaken. Trees in cultivation often grow much faster and taller than in their natural habitats in the Santa Lucia Mountains.

A. bracteata is not currently threatened by any form of utilization and almost all subpopulations are within protected areas so that changes in land-use are unlikely to occur in the near future. Under normal conditions, fire is a relatively minor risk as most stands are confined to areas that rarely burn. However, dieback of associated oak species through Sudden Oak Death may increase fuel-load in surrounding areas and heighten the risk of more intense fires. Additionally, climate change impacts such as variations in precipitation, associated changes in fire frequencies and intensities would be problematic. A. bracteata's ability to respond and adapt to changes in its environment is hampered by poor seed set associated with inbreeding and seed predation, infrequent regeneration and a lack of genetic diversity within and between subpopulations.

In-Place Research, Monitoring and Planning Action Recovery plan:No Systematic monitoring scheme:NoIn-Place Land/Water Protection and Management Occur in at least one PA:Yes Percentage of population protected by PAs (0-100):100In-Place Species ManagementIn-Place Education Subject to recent education and awareness programmes:No Included in international legislation:No Subject to any international management/trade controls:No